Precision balance



1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 2,

INVENTOR J O H N GATTON I Tial.

ATTORNEY Sept. 1, 1936. J. GATTONI PRECISION BALANCE Filed Feb. 2, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN GATTONI ATTORNEY Sept. 1, 1936. J GATTON] 2,053,074

PRECI SION BALANCE Filed Feb. 2, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR JOHN GATTONI ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFVIE PRECISION BALANCE Application February 2, 1934, Serial No. 709,427

4 Claims.

, This invention relates to precision balances and has for its object to provide a balance of this type with improved means for quickly and accurately weighing objects of relatively small mass.

My balance is of the type employing a beam of any suitable length pivoted on a knife edge. On one side of the knife edge the beam carries a pan or a plurality of pans or other means for supporting the substance to be weighed as well as a set of weights of known value; and on the other side of the knife edge the beam is weighted so that it is exactly balanced when loaded with the known weights but before the substance to be weighed is placed on the weighing pan. The substance to be weighed is then placed on the pan, upsetting the equilibrium of the beam, and various known weights are removed until the equilibrium of the beam is restored, the weight of the substance being the combined value of the Weights which have been removed in order to balance the beam.

My invention resides in the provision of improved means for adjusting the equilibrium of a balance of this type and for arresting and releasing the beam and pans so as to increase the accuracy and speed of weighing.

The various features and advantages of the invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a balance embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a View looking into the right end of the balance;

Fig. 3 is a view looking into the left end of the balance;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified weight plate;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation showing various modifications of the invention; and

Figs. '7 and 8 are details of further modifications.

The balance shown in Figs. 1 to 3 has a base I which in practice supports a glass case enclosing the entire mechanism. The base supports standard 2 at the upper end of which beam 3 is mounted on knife edge 4. The beam carries the usual pointer 5 which moves over scale 6.

At one end of beam 3 is a knife edge 1 on which rests bearing 8 of yoke frame 9. The yoke frame has two hooks l0 and H and lateral extensions I2 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Standard 2 also supports cradle I3 which is raised and lowered by rotation of knob M for the purpose of lifting beam 3 and yoke frame 9 off their respective knife edge bearings when the balance is not in use.

The pan 5 for the substance to be weighed is supported by how ll which is hung on the upper hook IQ of the yoke frame, and a second pan 5 or plate NS for a set of weights i9 is supported by a smaller bow 20 which is hung on the lower hook II of the yoke frame. Thus the single knife edge I at one end of beam 3 supports the complete set of weights IQ of predetermined value, 10 in addition to supporting the pan in which the substance to be weighed is placed. This initial load is exactly balanced by a spool-shaped counterweight 2! which is screwed or otherwise mounted on the opposite end of beam 3 so that the beam 15 is in a state of equilibrium when pan I6 is empty and when the weights I9 are mounted on plate I8.

Weighing is accomplished by placing a substance such as 22 in pan l5, thereby upsetting the equilibrium of the beam, and by removing a weight or various combinations of Weights l9 from plate l8 until the beam again attains a state of equilibrium with pointer 5 at the center or zero line of scale 5. In order to balance the beam in this manner the total value of the weight or weights i9 removed from plate i8 must exactly equal the weight of the substance 22 on pan !5. The weights is are suitably labeled so that, by adding the weights removed from plate 18, the weight of substance 22 is obtained. If desired, 0 beam 3 may be graduated to take all milligram weights, and in some cases gram weights, as in any analytical balance, a sliding poise 23 being shown in Fig. 1 for purposes of illustration.

The balance may also be provided with a mag- 3 netic damper of the type disclosed in my Patent #1300541, dated March 7, 1933. In the form shown, magnet 25 having closely spaced poles 26 is support-ed by arms 21 which are adjustably secured to standard 2 by clamp 28. An aluminum or other non-magnetic damping plate 29 is pivotally suspended by hooks 30 and light chains 3| from extensions 12 of yoke frame 9 and is arranged to move up and down between the poles of the magnet, swinging movements of bows I! and 20 being isolated from the damping plate so that they do not affect the sensitivity and accuracy of the balance. The eddy currents set up by moving plate 29 through the magnetic field dampen the motion of the beam and bring the balance to rest in a few seconds.

Plunger 33 is operated by knob 34 in front of the balance. Thus plunger contacts with a pin 35 carried by bar 36 having lateral arms 31 and 38 which are mounted in pivots 39 on base I. Arm

31 carries a rest 40 which is adapted to contact with the bottom of pan I6 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Arm 38 carries a cup M supporting rod 32 which passes through an opening in cradle i3 and provides a rest for the end of the beam adjacent weight 2!. The weight of bar 36 holds the respective rests 4d and 42 in contact with pan l6 and beam 3% in Fig. 1, and the pressure of pin 35 on plunger 33 forces the plunger outwardly or toward the right as viewed in Fig. 3. When plunger 33 is pushed back, the pressure of the plunger on pin 35 raises bar 35 and tips arms 3i and 38 toward the front of the balance thereby lowering est Gd out of contact with pan l 6 and permitting rest 42 to descend by gravity out of the path of beam 3. When thus pushed back, plunger 33 may be locked in any suitable manner as by a pin engaging the adjacent edge of the base when the plunger is rotated.

Figs. ,4 and 5 show a modified weight plate M supported by bow 2G and containing a plurality of depressions or compartments 45 of various widths and depths to receive the different weights 59. In the form shown, compartments G5 are of circular cross-section and are adapted to accommodate standard cylindrical weights, but they may be of any other suitable shape and a single compartment may accommodate a number of fractional weights if desired.

Fig. 6 shows a number of other modifications. In this embodiment beam 3 has a series of graduated notches 46 for the reception of a rolling poise 47. Bow 2%, which carries weight plate i8 also carries a second superposed plate 48 for a set of fractional weights 9, it being understood that the fractional weights'm'ay be placed either above or below the main weights. Intersecting vertical and horizontal slots 58 are formed in the opposite end of the beam for the ready reception of the spool-shaped counterweight 25 comprising two discs which are connected by a screw 5!! enabling said counterweight to be held in any desired posi-. tion in said slots by tighteningscrew 5i. Also, in this embodiment of the invention, magnet 25 is mounted on the left side of standard 2 and cooperating damping plate 29 is suspended from a separate yoke frame E2 supported by knife edge 53 which is carried by the end of the beam adjacent the counterweight; The knife edge %3 does not constitute a friction point within the ordinary meaning or the term because it cannot afiect the there are only two knife edges; hence changes in arm length due to temperature, inequalities in the density of the beam material, etc., have no effect on the weighing accuracy of the balance. It is likewise evident that the balance will maintain unvarying sensitiveness from no load to capacity since the full load (the known weights) is always suspended from the beam, i

The invention is also capable of many other modifications and adaptations not specifically described but included within the scope of the appended claims.

Ifhe invention claimed is:

1.;A balance comprising a pivoted beam, means for weighting one end of'said beam, means carried by the other end of said beam for supporting a plurality of weights and the substance to be weighed, a vertically movable rod adapted to engage the weighted end of said beam a pivoted arm supportingsaid rod, and means for moving said arm about its pivot to move said rod into and out of engagement with said beam.

2. A balance comprising a pivoted beam, means for weighting one end of said beam, a pan having a bow suspended from the other end of said beam to support the substance to be weighed, means for supporting a plurality of weights from the same end of the beam as said pan, a movable'rest adapted to engage said pan, a vertically disposed axially reciprocal rod adapted to engage the weighted end of said beam, and means for moving said rest and said rod into and out of engagement with said pan and said beam.

3. A balance comprising a pivoted beam having intersecting vertical and horizontal slots at one end for receiving a weight, a spool-shaped weight insertable into said slots and comprising a pair of discs and a connecting screw for lockingsame in any desired position in said slots, and

means carried by the other end of said beam for stance to be weighed.

4. A balance comprising a pivoted beam, means for weighting one end of said beam, apan having a bow suspended from the other end of said beam to support the substance to be weighed, cans for supporting a plurality of weights from the same end of the beam as said pan, a verti cally movable cradle beneath said beam for supporting same when not in use, a bar pivoted beneath said beam carrying a pair of spaced arms, a rest carried by one of said arms adapted to engage said pan, a rod supported by the other arm and extending loosely through said cradle in posi tion to engage the weighted end of said beam, and means for moving said bar about its pivot to move said rest and rod into and out of engagementwith,

said pan and beam.

JOI-lIN GATTONI. 

